Archive for June, 2010|Monthly archive page

It took me hearing this three times for it to finally sink in and stick with me. Hopefully, the case is not the same for you. It is a story about mindset that I heard from Alwyn Cosgrove. Before I tell it I will let you know that I took artistic liberty and made one minor tweak in the story. I will use soccer, instead of basketball, as the sport of choice. But no worries as the fundamental message will still hold true.

So let’s set the stage. Imagine you’re a player in the World Cup final. Probably the single biggest sporting event in the world. Hundreds of millions of people are watching. The score is 2-1 and there’s 5 minutes left in the game… what do you do?

Losers say to press men forward in an attempt to score and tie the game.

Winners say to keep possession of the ball and run out the clock.

What was your initial thought? If you’re first thought was that you need to score to tie the game this might be a clue that you have the wrong mindset – the mindset of a loser. If you think you’re a loser chances are you will be a loser. If you think you’re a winner you may not actually win but there’s nothing else I can say except that it makes no sense to not believe you are a winner.

Winners aren’t winners because they always win. Winners are winners because even though they will inevitably lose sometimes they always think and believe they can and will win.

The real message here is to think in Positives instead of Negatives. Bad things happen to everyone. No one is destined to a life of misery unless they choose to take that path. Recognize that what you want to happen may not always happen but you will never get to where you want if you can’t see the opportunities, take full ownership of your life and improve your mindset.

(Chad)

Advertisements

Share, it's how ideas spread:

“You can learn a lot at a full-service counter at the airport, particularly on a snowy day.

Some travelers are adroit at navigating the outcomes dealt to them by weather and scheduling snafus. Others completely melt down. And the result of the emotional crash is that these travelers do a poor job of making new plans.

The woman in front of me isn’t going to make it to her flight to Florida. Planes leave, planes don’t leave. There’s nothing she can do about this. But she’s unable to accept the world as it is, so she has a meltdown. Instead of calmly looking at the situation, quickly switching to a different airline, and moving on (which would have led to her arriving in Palm Beach only ten minutes late), she needs to deny the truth about her flight and the motivation of the person who canceled it. Then she needs someone to blame. Her emotional connection to the outcome blinds her to the choices that are available to her.

In this moment, she had a choice. She could remain attached to the outcome she was in hate with, or she could have a moment of prajna, an acceptance of the world as it is, regardless of how she wants it to be.

Forty years ago, Richard Branson, who ultimately founded Virgin Air, found himself in a similar situation in an airport in the Caribbean. They had just canceled his flight, the only flight that day. Instead of freaking out about how essential the flight was, how badly his day was ruined, how his entire career was now in jeopardy, the young Branson walked across the airport to the charter desk and inquired about the cost of a chartering a flight out of Puerto Rico.

Then he borrowed a portable blackboard and wrote, “Seats to Virgin Islands, $39.” He went back to his gate, sold enough seats to his fellow passengers to completely cover his costs, and made it home on time. Not to mention planting the seeds for the airline he’d start decades later. Sounds like the kind of person you’d like to hire.”

Think about that story for a minute. How many times in your day do you look to blame someone else instead of accepting things for what they are and finding a way to a solution? This simple mindset change could make all the difference. This is what could set you apart. This is what could make you indispensable to your company, your family or to the world.

Share, it's how ideas spread:

Inspired by and in celebration of the World Cup, which, if you don’t know, starts Friday!!

Every day you wake up you have a choice. Do what everyone else does. Place limitations on yourself based on the world around you. Accept that which is in front of you as all that is possible. Or you can refuse to settle. You can create new boundaries. You can carve your name in history. You alone can write your own future. Are you ready? Are you willing?

(Chad)

Share, it's how ideas spread:

Destiny is what you make of it. What does that mean? That means if you want something then stop playing around and go out and get it. Destiny doesn’t happen to you. Well, destiny will happen to you if you let it. It just might not be the destiny that you want. Don’t be held back by fear or uncertainty or any other negative emotion. You will not become great by second guessing everything you do or being afraid to venture out into the unknown. You will become great by taking action. It may not always be the “right” action. But it’s action. Things are happening. Wheels are in motion. As you go, you will learn to adjust the ship’s sails to stay the course. What am I saying? I’m saying that you will become the creator (or destroyer) of your own destiny. So take ownership of it and don’t leave it up to some unseen forces of the universe.

Destiny does not decide where you go. You do. Where do you want to take your destiny? What are you doing today to make that happen?

And of course I’ve included a video because we all like to watch things!